Fan wins MLL fastest shot competition

So Major League Lacrosse has a contest where the fan who has the fastest shot during a "fan fest" gets the chance to compete in the halftime competition against four All-Stars. The fan, who works at a lacrosse store, ends up setting a world record for the fastest shot 116 mph, beating all of the pros.

That doesn't really say much for those Major League Lacrosse "All-Stars."

Any other sports you think a fan could come out of the bleachers (I know, I know, he won a contest) and beat an All-Star in a game involving skill? Could a fan win the Home Run Derby? Or dunk contest?

Just curious, not trying to dog on lacrosse.

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I think there's enough outstanding former high school and college basketball players out there that one of them could win a dunk contest against an NBA player. Same with a 3-point contest, and maybe even a home run derby under the right circumstances. Anything where you're competing against the game, and not an opponent, a talented fan would have a fighting chance.
The key, of course, is the "fan" having played the sport and excelled at some level. A guy who last played junior high basketball probably has no chance. A guy who played Division III ball but hasn't played competitively in five years could probably hold his own.

As far as a slam dunk contest, I'm sure we've all seen plenty of young men who can do a circus dunk but have no other ball skills which is why they never saw a D1 school, much less the NBA.

Home run contest? I wouldn't be shocked to see a random fan send a few batting practice pitches out of the park. Hell, we see it in spring training sometimes when a non-baseball athlete comes in on a lark.

Using Oregon's golf analogy, I've been blessed with the ability to hit straight, according to my friends who have seen me play (which isn't much) but I have no driving power and can't putt worth a darn so I'd be shooting a 9-hole 183

Shooting the ball really fast? There are a bunch of guys who played high school or DIII lacrosse who can do it. Shooting it 110 mph and putting it in the little hole between the goalie's stick and the post with a 220-pound defender carrying a six-foot pole bearing down on you? That's the real skill.

MLL officials couldn't have enjoyed watching that. For the golf comparison, I can tell you for a fact that the PGA Tour wouldn't stage a fan long-drive competition versus their top guns and run the risk of a fan winning. It's entirely possible, of course, but why sanction it?

MLL officials couldn't have enjoyed watching that. For the golf comparison, I can tell you for a fact that the PGA Tour wouldn't stage a fan long-drive competition versus their top guns and run the risk of a fan winning. It's entirely possible, of course, but why sanction it?

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With golf, though, I think most people -- especially those who actually play the game -- realize that being able to hit the ball 350 yards on a driving range has nothing to do with being able to shoot 67 in a PGA Tour-level competition. Sometimes it's even a detriment, depending on the course.
The PGA Tour, though, does have the pro-am events at nearly every Tour stop. So they technically do sanction the fan vs. pro matchup on some level.

This thread reminds me of that Spike TV show "Pros vs. Joes" that was on a few years back. They'd recruited a bunch of recently retired athletes and some amateur athletes -- almost all of them had played some college sport -- and put them against each other in one-on-one situations.
Pretty much anytime the Pros took it seriously, it was a whitewash. I remember Rob Dibble throwing some poor bastard 20 pitches and I think he might've gotten weak singles on two of them.

MLL officials couldn't have enjoyed watching that. For the golf comparison, I can tell you for a fact that the PGA Tour wouldn't stage a fan long-drive competition versus their top guns and run the risk of a fan winning. It's entirely possible, of course, but why sanction it?

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With golf, though, I think most people -- especially those who actually play the game -- realize that being able to hit the ball 350 yards on a driving range has nothing to do with being able to shoot 67 in a PGA Tour-level competition. Sometimes it's even a detriment, depending on the course.
The PGA Tour, though, does have the pro-am events at nearly every Tour stop. So they technically do sanction the fan vs. pro matchup on some level.

This thread reminds me of that Spike TV show "Pros vs. Joes" that was on a few years back. They'd recruited a bunch of recently retired athletes and some amateur athletes -- almost all of them had played some college sport -- and put them against each other in one-on-one situations.
Pretty much anytime the Pros took it seriously, it was a whitewash. I remember Rob Dibble throwing some poor bastard 20 pitches and I think he might've gotten weak singles on two of them.

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NBC used to do something is similar called Sports Fantasies. Usually, the pro would destroy the joe, but I do remember Michael Jordan losing a game of 1 on 1. In wheelchair basketball.